O’Connell CP, Andreotti S, Rutzen M, Meÿer M, Matthee C.A (2019) Ocean & Coastal Management, Sep 1;179:104819 IF: 1,696
Natural barriers, both large and small, have the power to mediate the ecological dynamics within a region. On spatiotemporal scales, these barriers can sometimes have a significant impact on the presence of predators and prey. In this work, we investigated the potential effects of sea bamboo (Ecklonia maxima), a species of kelp prevalent in the waters off South Africa, on the presence of C. carcharias. Thirty-one distinct C. carcharias were identified using baited remote underwater video systems (BRUVS), and a total of 135 hours of film were gathered in high, moderate, and low kelp densities to establish an organismal sighting index. The main influence of kelp density was included in the best-fit model, according to generalized linear models, and there was a definite inverse association between kelp density and C. carcharias.
